


Meet the Fam(iliars)

by BlushingDragon



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Animal Familiars, Character Study, F/F, Familiars, M/M, Multi, Multiple Apprentices, Nonbinary Character, People love you when you love their pets, Pre-Canon, no beta reader we die like gluttons for wish fulfillment, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-09 09:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17999039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlushingDragon/pseuds/BlushingDragon
Summary: The way that Deuce’s head turned sharply to glare Nika looked stern, but he refrained from raising his wings.Not alone,the bird complained.“I either leave you up here, or bring you underground with me and Julian.” Nika could feel Julian’s eye on them as they spoke to their familiar. He’d mentioned Faust like he’d only just recalled her existence; they doubted that Julian had seen Asra talk to his familiar like they did.Chapter 1: Deuce the Barbary Falcon, Nika x JulianChapter 2: Baron the Shire Horse, Neal x AsraChapter 3: Gracia the Leopard Gecko, Sybil x NadiaChapter 4: Kyf the Ferret, Morgan x PortiaChapter 5: Gare the Maned Fox, Blake x Muriel





	Meet the Fam(iliars)

**Author's Note:**

> really just a way to show off my MCs and their backstories/headcanons in one fell swoop. Kudos and comments are loved!

_Don’t want!_

“I hear you, Deucey, but I have to. You want to fly around the colosseum and wait for us?” Nika murmured as they stroked back the feathers on the falcon’s head.

The way that Deuce’s head turned sharply to glare Nika looked stern, but he refrained from raising his wings. _Not alone_ , the bird complained.

“I either leave you up here, or bring you underground with me and Julian.” Nika could feel Julian’s eye on them as they spoke to their familiar. He’d mentioned Faust like he’d only just recalled her existence; they doubted that Julian had seen Asra talk to his familiar like they did.

 _Asra,_ Deuce chirped excitedly and hopped down Nika’s arm to leap into the air, spreading his wings. The falcon circled the colosseum, and then wheeled toward the palace.

Turning to Julian, they saw his gaze following Deuce before meeting Nika’s eyes. He gestured into the air with one gloved hand.

“What was, ah, all that about?”

Nika gave a half-shrug. “Birds don’t like to be underground, Deuce in particular.” They crouched down and lowered themself to drop down the trapdoor, landing nimbly on their hands and feet like a cat. 

Julian fell with grace after them, and after brushing the dust off of his coat, offered them his arm. Nika flushed but accepted it anyhow, and the two of them began to peruse the Red Market. For a few awkward moments, no words passed between them, and Nika attempted to distract themself by observing the way the ambient lighting illuminated the tones of red in Julian’s hair, creating fiery sparks and shimmers. They’d have to show him their firework ritual to get him to warm up to magic… _ha, warm up…_

Julian cleared his throat and the noise knocked Nika out of their reverie.

“I meant talking to the bird. Is that a… magic thing? I think Asra would do that with the snake, but I—“ Julian pursed his lips, looking worried, and like a sudden flash Nika remembered the craggily old raven from the bar—and the street market, and the south end—that had croaked warnings to Julian before. They chuckled, and from the uncomfortable look on Julian’s face, he realized that they’d cottoned on to him.

“No, not everyone talking to an animal is a magician. Sometimes they’re just lonely,” they remarked teasingly. “Deuce, he’s my familiar, but he’s still a bird. I can talk to him all I like, but the difference is that he gets his point across, too. Malak, he’s still as inscrutable to me as he is to you, unless there’s something you’ve been meaning to tell me…?”

Nika could feel Julian sigh with relief against their side.

“I’m fairly certain I’m about as magical as a doorknob, don’t worry, my dear,” Julian said. “I was thinking of a pirate captain I ran into, whose _bird_ shouted orders because the captain’s tongue had been cut out. Then I saw Deuce, and well, I wondered…”

“I am demonstrably still in possession of my tongue, Julian,” they said playfully, and leaned into him until seeing a pink flush grow on his cheeks. Nika squeezed the doctor’s hand and eased off.

“You know, I grew up in a port city?” asked Nika. “I probably met a lot of people who might’ve been pirates and not known it. Did you ever end up in Kolmen in your misadventures?” 

A brief smile for the word ‘misadventures’ crossed Julian’s face before his lips fell into a thin line. “Kolmen… unusually gusty? Lots of farmers?” 

Nika nodded for the fair description of the port town, remembering the gusts that ripped through their loose hair all that time ago. 

Julian continued, “I think I actually took a month of shore leave there. A horse rancher had come down with something— _ not _ the plague, thankfully—but I was concerned, so I kept an eye on her and her husband in exchange for a bed that didn’t sway and available fresh produce.”

A familiar picture painted itself in Nika’s head and they chortled. “Oh, I understand it. I wanted to go sailing so badly, but my parents would lecture me and say I’d get scurvy within a month. Hell, I bought Deuce from a merchant within my first year in Vesuvia because he reminded me of the port at home. And then he started talking to me, but still,” Nika concluded with an amused head shake.

The pair laughed, and Julian added, “You know, it’s odd, but that horse rancher told me about her child who had always wanted to be a pirate, before heading off to another city for work with her eldest son. Quite a lot of young folk in Kolmen want to be pirates, then?”

Nika half-shrugged, and felt content to let the idea lie before a thought hit them like lightning. “Julian, I think you met my parents,” they said, eyes wide and voice shocked into low volume. 

“Is that… a bad thing?” Julian shifted his weight as a look of worry crossed his face. 

“Whatever it is, we can figure it out when we aren’t looking for the Scourge of the South? You might want to be more afraid of the Countess than my parents if she decides you’re guilty before we prove you aren’t.”   
  



End file.
